Quick-combustion gun.



I N. LEWIS.

QUICK COMBUSTION GUN.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. l 1911;.

Patented Jan. 7, 1919.

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| I l I I I I I I I I I II I I l I l I I l I l I Wz/nessea f? 4 J. N. LEWIS.

QUICK COMBUSTION GUN.

APPLICATIGN, FILED MAR. 1, 191a.

Patented Jan. '7, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

v bzz/ezzzor: JamesN. Lea/1's JAMES N. LEWIS, 013 DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

QUICK-COMBUSTION GUN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 7, 1919.

Application filed March 1, 1918. Serial No. 219,757.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I JAMES N. LEWIS, a citizen of the United tates, and a resident of Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Quick- Combustion Guns, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a breech loading un provided with a bore to receive a proectile, means for propelling said projectile and discharging it from said gun, consisting of a mixture of air holding in suspension a hydro-carbon fuel, and means for igniting said mixture.

The object of this invention is to obtain a gun of the character described which is easily loaded and which will automatically determine the ignition of the combustible mixture contained therein.

Further objects are to obtain means for quickly loading said gun with a combustible mixture without requiring particular care by the persons operating the same to obtain a determined pressure to the air supply used,

and which will not require adjustment of the carbureter which forms an element of the apparatus arranged to obtain and force a fuel mixture into the gun, upon a considerable variation in said air pressure.

Additional objects are hereinafter set forth in the drawings accompanying and forming a part hereof.

Figure 1, is a side elevation illustrating mechanisms by means of which a fuel mixture is supplied the gun, said gun being shown partly in vertical section.

Fig. 2, is a front elevation of a breech block forming an element of a gun embodying the invention, and Fig. 3, is a side elevation of said breech block with a portion thereof in vertical section disclosing operating members installed therein.

Flg. 4, is an end elevation of said block, looking up, as viewed in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5, is a side elevation of a removable plug adapted to co-act with the electrical portion of the installation illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4.

Fig. 6, is a top plan view of a member which is provided with electrical terminals; duplicates thereof being indicated in Fig. l as installed in the gun.

Fig. 7, is a vertical section of the members illustrated in Fig. 6 with a side elevation of the end of an electric cable which is attached thereto.

Figs. 2 to 7 all inclusive are on an enlarged scale.

A reference character applied to designate a given part indicates said part throughout the several figures of the drawing, wherever the same appears.

A, represents a breech loading gun provlded with a bore a, the breech block B in part C of the gun, sleeve D, mutilated screw E, and the sleeve retaining member F, which is engageable with mutilated screw E.

The block B is provided with the chamber G which is illustrated as of two diameters, 9 being the circumferential wall of the por tion of said chamber of larger diameter, and g the circumferential wall of the portion of smaller diameter. H, is a passageway in block B which is provided with shoulder in and the ort it, said port opening into chamber I, represents a valve yieldingly held by spring J on said port to close it. 2' 1s the stem of valve I, and j is an abutment secured on said stem against which abutment one end of the spring J is placed so that the other end of said spring is held against the shoulder h. The abutment j is provided with apertures j. Sleeve D is provided with a passageway 03 which is adapted to register w1th passageway H when block B and sleeve D are in position to load and fire the gun.

K represents a receptacle adapted to hold air under pressure, and k a receptacle adapted to hold a liquid hydro-carbon under pressure. K represents an inlet pipe to receptacle K, and L a discharge pipe or conduit therefrom. M, M represent valves in pipe L. N, represents a branch pipe from ipe L to and communicating with receptac e la n represents a detachable connection attaching pipe N to receptacle 7c, and n a like connection attaching discharge pipe Z to said receptacle. m represents a valve in pipe Z, similar to valve M in pipe L. Valves M and m are represented as respectively provided with operatin levers m which are joined by link M having handle m whereby said valves are synchronously operated. The broken line lettered O designates the surface of liquid fuel contained in receptacle la and it Will be observed the pipe N discharges into said receptacle abovethe surface of the fuel therein, while the inlet end of pipe Z is below said surface and near the By the recited arrangement of the air receptacle K, fuel receptacle in, pipes L, Z, valves M, m, and carbureter P, when the valve Q. is adjusted to cause a proper mlxture of air and fuel from said carbureter to pipe R, chamber G and bore a of gun A, with the air which is supplied from receptacle K beingat a given .pressure, a corresponding pressure Will be given to the fuel supplied said carbureter, and as the pressure of said air varies the pressure of said fuel varies correspondingly, and hence an adjusted mixture will be discharged through pipe R, notwithstanding said variation in air pressure.

To ignite the combustible contents of the gun I provide battery S, conductors T, T, to said battery, terminals W, W, and induction coil U, u, with winding U of said coil interposed on conductor T, conductors V, V in electrical connection with winding u of coil U, u, and ends 01 o of ignltion or spark plug W. W is a terminal plug on conductors V, V, which is removable from ignition plug W. The plug NV is provided with terminal rings 1V V of electric conducting material, which, when said plug is inserted in ignition plug W come into electrical conducting contact with rings W, W The removable plug W is removed when sleeve D is to be drawn back and block B taken out of the breech of the gun to permit the insertion of projectile X into the bore a of the gun.

It will be observed that when the projectile X is in the position indicated by the broken lines X in Fig. 1, the shell of said projectile being an electric conductor, said shell bridges terminals VV W" of conductors T T, closing the circuit consisting of said terminals, conductors, battery S and primary winding U of induction coil U, u.

. The secondary Winding u of said coil is thus energized and an ignition spark or series of sparks will be obtained from spark plug W and the fuel mixture in the gun will be ignited. The position of the terminals W W determines the quantity of fuel mixture which is in the gun at the time of its ignition and by broken lines VV T and T I have indicated a-location of said terminals additional to the one illustrated by full lines, with conductors connected thereto.

It will be evident to those skilled in the art that conductor T may be grounded to gun A, as is indicated by the broken line lettered T*, Fig. 1, and the terminal. W removed, if preferred. Y, Fig. 1, is a sectional View of a cap which is mounted on p the discharge end of gun A, and 3 are apertures in the wall of the gun adjacent to ,the discharge end. The purpose of this cap and said apertures is to lessen the noise incident to the projectile leaving the gun.

I claim l. A breech loading gun comprising a removable block provided with a recess and a passageway thereto, a sleeve arranged to maintain said block in position in the breech of said gun, and a mutilated screw provided with a head to hold said sleeve in place, in combination with a valve arranged to open inwardly to said recess, means to yieldingly hold said valve to its seat, means to supply a fuel mixture, under pressure, to said passageway, and means to automatically ignite said mixture upon a determined travel of a projectile toward the discharge end of said gun.

2. A breech loading gun comprising a movable block provided with a recess and a passageway thereto, a sleeve arranged to maintain said block in position in the breech of said gun, and a mutilated screw provided with a head to hold said sleeve in place, in combination with a valve arranged to open inwardly to said recess, means to yieldingly hold said valve to its seat, means to supply 'a'fuel mixture, under pressure, to the said passageway, and means'to automatically ignite said mixture upon a determined travel of a projectile toward the discharge end of said gun, said means comprising an electric circuit comprising an induction coil and normally separated terminals, and provided with energizing means, said terminals arranged to be closed by the passage of a projectile thereover in the bore of said gun, electric terminals in the breech of said gun and conductors from said induction coil to said last named terminals.

3. A breech loading gun comprising a removable block provided with a recess and a passageway thereto, a sleeve arranged to maintain said block in position in the breech of said gun, and a mutilated screw provided with a head to hold said sleeve in place, in combination with a valve arranged to open inwardly to said recess, means to yieldingly hold 'said valve to its seat, means to supply a fuel mixture, under pressure, to saidpassageway, and means to automatically ignite said mixture upon a determined travel of a projectile toward the discharge end of said. gun, said ignition meanscomprising electric conductors, an induction coil, a plurality of pairs'of electric terminals positioned in the bore of said gun and respectively arranged to be closed by the movement thereover of a projectile, means to join said conductors to a determined pair 1,aeo,sec

of said terminals, ignition members in the breech of said gun and conductors from said induction coil to said ignition members.

4. A breech loading gun comprising a a fuelmixture, under pressure,to said passageway, and means to automatically ignite said mixture upon a determined travel of a projectile toward the discharge end of said gun, said ignition means comprising electric conductors, an induction coil, a plurality of pairs of electric terminals positioned in the bore of said gun and respectively arranged to be closed by the movement thereover of a projectile, means to join said conductors to a determined pair of said terminals, ignition members in the breech of said gun, a removable plug to said ignition members, and conductors from said induction coil to said removable plug.

5. A breech loading gun comprising a removable block provided with a recess having a plurality of chambers thereto and a passageway to the portion of said recess of smaller diameter and means to maintain said block in position in the breech of said gun, in combination with a valve to said passageway arranged to open inwardly to said recess, means to yieldingly hold said valve to its seat, means to supply a fuel mixture, under pressure, to said passageway, and means to automatically ignite said mixture upon a determined travel of a projectile toward the discharge end of said gun, said ignition means comprising electric conductors, an induction coil, a plurality of pairs of electric terminals positioned in the bore of said gun and respectively arranged to be closed by theumovement thereover of a projectile, means to join said conductors to a determined pair of said terminals, ignition members in the breech of said gun, a removable plug to said ignition members, and conductors from said induction coil to said removable plug.

6. In a quick combustion gun provided with a bore, the combination of a fuel receptacle, means to supply air under pressure, and means to supply fuel,a carbureter provided with a passageway therethrough and with adjustable means to control the flow of fuel thereto, means to synchronously control the flow of air and fuel to said passageway, means to equalize the pressure of the air and fuel flowing into said passageway, a conduit from said passageway into said bore and means to obstruct the flow of products of combustion from said bore to said conduit.

7. In a quick combustion gun provided with a bore, a fuel receptacle, a carbureter provided with a passageway therethrough and with adjustable means to discharge fuel from said receptacle to said passageway, means to supply air under pressure to said passageway and to said fuel receptacle, means to convey a mixture of air and fuel from said passageway to said gun, and a valve in said conveying means yieldingly held closed and adapted to permit the flow of said mixture therefrom into the bore of said gun, in combination with means to automatically ignite the mixture in said bore on said projectile being moved to a'determined position therein.

JAMES N. LEWIS. In the presence of CHARLES TURNER BROWN, J. Sonnbnn. 

